Safety switch



March 24. 1925 1,531,264

E. R. BARANY SAFETY SWITCH Filed Aug. 22, 1922 Patented Mar. 24-, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDMUND R. BARANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO YALE ELECTRIC COR- PORATION, A CORPORATION OF NEV] YDRK.

SAFETY SWITCH.

Application filed August 22, 1922.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDI-.IUND R. Banana,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to safety switches particularly adapted to be used in connection with flashlights although not restricted to such use.

In flashlight constructions it is customary to employ aslidableswi'tch actuating member which is adapted to so engage a protruding lug as to effect a closing of the switch and consequently a closing 01" the electric circuit through the flashlight lamp.

One of the principal objections of such construction resides in the tact that the protruding lug is often, when the flashlight is not in use, accidentally or otherwise depressed and maintained in circuit closing position a suilicient length of time to de stroy the activity 01" the flashlight battery and thus render tne same useless.

An important object of n y invention is to provide, in combination with a circuit closer, a means whereby the circuit is main 'tained open should the protruding lug, above referred to, become accidentally or otherwise depressed while the circuit closer actuating means is maintained in a normal or inoperative position.

A further object 01' my invention is to provide a switch particularly adapted to be used in connection with the flashlight which is simple in construction, reliable in operation and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and certain advantages of the invention will become-apparent from the following description when taken in connection with he accompanying drawings, in which- I Figure 1 is an elevation of a port-ion of a flashlight embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a central longitudinal sectional View through a flashlight showing in section the several cooperative elements of 50 the switcl embodying my invention.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 33 of Figure 1.

In the drawings wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown what I at present consider the preferred form of my inven Serial No. 583,515.

tion the numeral 5 indicates a flashlight casingof usual metallic type, to the upper end of which is connected a reflector head 6, provided with a reliect-or T and having as sociated ther with a conventional form of lens 8 which is mounted together with tl e reflect-or T in a proper position with respect to the head 6 by means of a l ns ring 9. l i ithin the casing 51 have shown a conventional type of battery 10 adapted to furnish electrical energy to a lamp 11, the screw threaded portion 12 of whicl is carried by a sleeve 13 formed integral with a metallic plate 14: which is supported by a fiber disc 15 arranged within the lower end of the reflector head 6. Adjacent the pla e 1% there is arranged a fiber disc 16 having an opening 17 adapted to receive a central contact 18 of the lamp 11 in order that the same may electrically engage a conductor plate 19 electrically connected with a conductor arm 20 adapted to engage the central electrode 21 0f the battery 10.

To the metallic plate let there is connected an insulated conductor 22 one end of which is connected to a fiber plate 23 by means of a rivet 24:. The fiber plate 23 is arranged within a shallow pocket or seat- 25 tormedin the casing 5 and is adapted to be retained-in position by means of a housing 26 suitably connected to the casing :3 by means of rivets or the like 27. Upon the housing 26 there is arranged a switch actuating slide :28 provided with oppositely disposed cars 29 extending through parallel slots 30 formed in the housing. These ears serve not only as a means for retaining the slide 28 in position upon the housing 28 but function also as a means for so connecting the cam member 31 to the slide as to cause the same to move therewith when the same is actuated. As is most clearly shown in Figure 3 the cam member is provided with oppositely disposed notches or the like 32 adapted to receive the cars 29 when the switch is assembled.

lVithin the housing member there is arranged a more or less resilient circuit closer, indicated as a whole by the numeral 33, which is connected intermediate its ends to the fiber plate 23 by means of a rivet 34: which is also passed through a fiber plate or washer 35, functioning with the plate 3 as a means for clamping the free end of the conductor uch a posit-ion as to taand engage the metallic casing 5 when the slide 28 is so moved as toeffect a cooperation between the cam member 31 and the arm 36. The opposite end of the circuit closer member 33 is provided with a knob or lug 37 which protrudes through an opening 38 formed in the housing 26 and is further provided with a main circuit closer in the form of a resilient arm 39 adapted to engage the conductor 22 when the slide 28 is so moved as to effect a depression of the lug 37.

-YVith the several elements of the device embodying my invention positioned as shown in Figure 2 it is obvious that if the h1g3? is so depressed as to move the arm 89 into engagement with the conductor 22 the circuit through the lamp 11 will not be closed but if the slide 28 is so moved as to cause a depression of the lug 37 the circuit through the lamp 11 will be completed since such a. movement of the slide 28 will cause the arm 36 to move into electrical engagement with the receptacle 5 which is grounded to the battery 10 in the usual manner. The circuit when once closed as a result of the movement of the slide 28 will be maintained in such a condition until the slide 28 is retracted to its normal position shown in Figure 2, thereby releasing the lug 37 and at the same time permitting the auxiliary arm 36, due to its inherent resiliency, to retract from engagement with'the casing 5.

It: will be understood that while I have shown and described the switch embodying my invention in connection with a flashlight, the container of which is constructed from metal, it is to be understood that the flashlight container may be constructed from fiber or other similar material, in which case a second conduct-or similar to that indicated by the numeral 22-may be employed to electrically connect the auxiliary arm 36 with the zinc electrode of the battery when the slide 28 is so moved as to depress the arm 39.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A safety switch comprising resilient main and auxiliary circuit closers adapted for series connection in'an electric circuit, and movable 111638.118 adapted to be moved in one direction to progressively move said close-rs to circuit closing positions and adapted to be moved in an opposite direction to permit said closers to progressively move to circuit opening positions as a result of their inherent resiliency.

2. A safety switch comprising a resilient circuit closer member having main and auxiliary circuit closers adapted for series connection in an electric circuit, and a switch actuating slide adapted to so cooperate with said circuit closer member as to facilitate movement of said main and auxiliary circuit closers one after the other to their respective circuit closing positions.

3. A safety switch comprising a circuit closer member having main and auxiliary circuit closers associated therewith and adapted for series connection in an elect i'c circuit, a switch actuating; member adapted to be so moved as to-facilitate movement of said circuit closers one after the other to their respective circuit closing positions and thereafter retain the same'in their respectivecirc-uit closing positions.

4.. A safety switch comprising mainand auxiliary circuit closers adapted for series connection in an electric circuit, a slidable switch actuating member adapted to be so moved as to move one of said closers to circuit closing position, and a circuit closer actuating element carried by said switch actuating member and adapted to be so moved upon the operation of said switch actuating member as to move the other of said closers to circuit closing position.

5. A. safety switch comprising main and auxiliary circuit closers adapted for series connection in an electric circuit, a sli'dable switch actuating member adapted to be so moved as to move one of said closers to circuitclosingposition, and a circuit closer actuating element carried by said switch actuating member and adapted to be so moved upon the operation of's'aid switch actuating member as to move the other of said closers to circuit closing position, said element being in the form of a cam member operatively connected with said switch actuating member. i

6. A safety switch comprising a resilient circuit closer member provided at opposite ends with main and auxiliary circuit closers respectively, and a-slidable switch actuating member adapted upon a predetermined movement thereof to effect a movement of one of said closers to circuit closing position and upon a further movement to effect a movement of the other of said closers to circuit closing position. i

7. A safety switch comprising main and auxiliary resilient circuit closers, and a switch actuating member adapted to beso moved in one direction against the influence of said resilient circuit closers as to effect movement thereof to their respective circuit closing positions and further adapted to be moved in an opposite direction to permit said circuit closer to move as a result of their inherent resiliency to circuit opening positions.

8. A safety switch comprising a circuit closer member having main and auxiliary circuit closers associated therewith, a housing for said circuit closer member, and a switch actuating member carried by said housing, said switch actuating member being adapted to be so moved as to effect movement of said circuit closers to their respective circuit closing positions.

9. A safety switch comprising a resilient circuit closer member having main and auxiliary circuit closers associated therewith a housing for said circuit closer member, a slide slidably mounted upon said housing and adapted to be moved a predetel-mined distance to effect a movement of one of said closers to circuit closing position and further moved to effect a movement of the other of said closers to circuit closing position.

10. A safety switch comprising a resilient circuit closer member having main and auxiliary circuit closers associated therewith, a housing for said circuit closer member, a slide slidably mounted upon said housing and adapted to be moved to effect a movement of one of said closers to circuit closingr position, and a cam member adapted to be bodily moved with said slide to effect a movement of the other of said closers to circuit closing position.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature to this specification.

EDMUND R. BARAXY. 

